Selected quad for the lemma: doctrine_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
doctrine_n	bishop_n	church_n	exposition_n	3,560	5	11.1579	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26879	The catechizing of families a teacher of housholders how to teach their housholds : useful also to school-masters and tutors of youth : for those that are past the common small chatechisms [sic], and would grow to a more rooted faith, and to the fuller understanding of all that is commonly needful to a safe, holy comfortable and profitable life / written by Richard Baxter ...	Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.	1683 (1683)	Wing B1205; ESTC R22783	252,758	464

the Flesh the World and the Devil from the revenging Justice of God and from everlasting Damnation giving us here a Union with Christ the Pardon of our Sins and Sanctifying Grace and hereafter everlasting heavenly Glory Q. 3. Is there any other Religion besides the Christian Religion A. There be many errours of Men which they call their Religion Q. 4. Is there any True Religion besides Christianity A. There be divers that have some part of the Truth mixt with Error 1. The Heathens acknowledge God and most of his Attributes and Perfections as we do But they have no knowledge of his Will but what meer Nature teacheth them and they worship many Idols if not Devils as an under sort of Gods 2. The Iews own only the Law of Nature and the Old Testament but believe not in Jesus Christ our Redeemer 3. The Sadduces and all Bruitists worship God as the Governour of Man in this World but they believe not a Life to come for Man 4. The Pythagorean Heathens look for no Reward or Punishment after Death but by the passing of the Soul into some other Body on Earth in which i● shall be Rewarded or Punished 5. The Mahometans acknowledge One God as we do but they believe not in Jesus Christ as Mans Redeemer but only take him for an excellent Holy Prophet and they Believe in Mahomet a Deceiver as a Prophet greater than he 6. The meer D●ists believe in God but not in Jesus Christ and have only the Natural Knowledge of his Will as other Heathens but worship not Idols as they do Q. 5. Is there but One Christian Religion A. No True Christianity is one certain thing Q. 6. How then are Christians said to be of divers Religions A. Sound Christians hold to Christian Religion alone as Christ did institute it But many others corrupt it some by denying some parts of it while they own the rest and some by adding many corrupting Inventions of Man and making those a part of their Religion as the Papists do Q. 7. Where is the true Christian Religion Doctrinal to be found that we may certainly know which is it indeed A. The Christian Religion containeth I. The Light and Law of Nature and that is common to them with others and is to be found in the Nature of all things as the Significations of Gods Will II. Supernatural Revelation clearing the Law of Nature and giving us the Knowledge of the Redeemer and his Grace And this is contained I. Most fully in the Holy Bible II. Briefly and summarily in the Creed Lords Prayer and Commandments III. Most briefly of all in the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lords Supper and the Covenant made and sealed by them Q. 8. But are not the Articles of our Church and the Confessions of Churches their Religion A. Only Gods Word is ou● Religion as the Divine Rule But our Confessions and Books and Words and Lives shew how we understand it Q. 9. What is the Protestant Religion A. The Religion of Protestants is meer Christianity They are called Protestants but accidentally because they Protest for meer Scripture Christianity against the Corruptions of Popery Q. 10. What sorts of false Religion are there among Christians A. There are more Corruptions of Religion than can easily be named The chief of them are of these following sorts I. Some of them deny some Essential Article of Faith or Practice As the Immortality of the Soul the Godhead or Manhood or Offices of Christ or the Holy Ghost or the Scripture c. II. Some of them pretend new Revelations falsely and set their pretences of the Spirits Inspirations against the sealed Word of God III. Some of them set up an Usurped Power of their own against the Office Authority or sufficiency of the said Sealed Scriptures Pretending that they are Successours to the Apostles in the Power and Office of making Laws for the Universal Church and being the Judges of the sence of Scripture yea and what is to be taken for Gods Word and what not and Judges of all Controversies about it Of these the Papists preten● that the Pope and a General Council are Suprea● visible Governours under Christ of all the Christia● World and that none may appeal from them ●… God to Christ to the Scripture or to the Day o● Judgment Others pretend to such a Power i● every Patriarchal National or Provincial Church And all of them instead of a humble helping guiding Ministry set up a Church Leviathan a silencing Abaddon and Appollyon a destroying Office Setting up their Usurped power above ●● equal in Effect with Gods Word Q. 11. How come the Scriptures to be Gods Wor● when the Bishops Cannons are not And to be ●● far above their Laws A. You must know that God hath two differen● sort of Works to do for the Government of hi● Church The first is Legislation or giving Ne● Doctrines and Laws The other is the teachin● and guiding the Church by the Explication an● Application of these same Laws God is not sti● making New Laws for Man but he is still Teaching and Ruling them by his Laws Accordingly God hath had two sort of Ministers One sort for Legislation to Reveal ne● Doctrines and Laws And such was Moses unde● the Old Administration and Christ and his Commissioned Apostles under the New These wer● Eminent Prophets inspired by God infallibly ●● record his Laws and God attested their Offic● and Work by Multitudes of Evident uncontrolled Miracles But the Laws being Sealed the Second sort of Ministers are only to Teach and Apply these same Laws and Doctrines and not to reveal New ones And such were the Priests and Levites under Moses and all the succeeding Ministers and Bishops of the Churches under Christ and the Apostles who are the Foundation on which the Church is built And though all Church Guides may determine of the undetermined Circumstances of Holy things by the General Laws which God hath given therein Yet to arrogate a power of making a new Word of God or a Law that shall suspend our Obedience to his Laws or any Law for the Universal Church whether it be by Pope or Council is treasonable Usurpation of a Government which none but Christ is capable of And as if one King or Council should claim the Civil Soveraignty of all the Earth which is most unknown to them Q. 12. But I pray you tell me how the CREED comes to be of so great Authority seeing I find it not in the Bible A. It is the very Summ and Kernel of the Doctrine of the New Testament and there you may find it all with much more But it is Older than the writting of the New Testament save that two or three words were added since I told you before 1. That Christ himself did make the Nature and Terms of Christianity Commissioning his Apostles to make all Nations his Disciples baptizing them into the Name of the Father the Son and the Holy

the Sun is as much as to say If this be not true then I have no Faith Truth Honesty there is no Temple Altar Fire Sun or let me be taken for one that denyeth that I have any Faith that there is any Sun Fire c. or it is as true as that this is Fire Sun c. so to Swear by God is to say It is as true as that there is a God or as God liveth c. or If I Lye take me for one that denyeth God to be God and consequently it is an Appeal to him as the Avenger so By the Life of Pharaoh was As true as Pharaoh liveth or else take me for one that denyeth the life of Pharaoh So that there is somewhat of an Imprecation or Self-reproach as the penalty of a Lye in every Oath but more dreadfully of Divine Revenge when we Swear by God and of Idolatry when men Swear by an Idol as if it were a God Q. 6. Which be the chief wayes of taking Gods Name in vain A. 1. Fathering on him false Doctrine Revelations or Laws saying as false Prophets God sent me and Thus saith the Lord when it is false saying This Doctrine or this Prophecy Gods Spirit revealed to me when it is not so therefore all Christians must be very fearful of false Revelations and Prophecies and see that they believe not every Spirit nor pretend to Revelations and to take heed of taking the Suggestions of Satan or their crazed melancholy Fancies for the Revelations of God 2. So also Gathering false Doctrines out of Scripture by false Expositions and fathering these on God And therefore all men should in dark and doubtful cases rather suspend their judgments till they have overcome their doubts by solid Evidence than rashly to conclude and confidently and fiercely dispute for Errour It 's a great prophanation to father Lies on God who is the Hater of them when Lying is the Devils work and character 3. The same I may say of a rash and false Interpretation of Gods Providences 4. And also of fathering false Laws on God and saying that he either commandeth or forbiddeth what he doth not To make Sins and Duties which God never made and say he made them is to father falshood on him and corrupt his Government 5. Another way is by false Worship 1. If men say that God commanded such Worship which he commanded not it is the sin last mentioned 2. If they worship him with their own Inventions without his Command Particular or General they prophane his Name by offering him that which is unholy common and unclean 6. Another way is by false pretending that God gave them that Authority which he never gave them Like counterfeiting a Commission from the King ●…f Princes should pretend that God gave them Authority to oppose his Truth to persecute Godliness ●…njustly to silence faithful Ministers of Christ to ●…aise unnecessary Warres to oppress the Innocent This were a heinous taking of God's Name in vain ●…f Priests shall pretend that God gave them Authority to make themselves Pastors of the Flocks that are unwilling of them without a just Call or to make Laws for any that are not rightfully their Subjects and to impose their Dictates Words and Forms and unnecessary Inventions as Conditions of Ministration or Communion without true right and to make themselves the Rule of other mens words and actions by usurpation this is all taking Gods Name in vain And so it is if they Preach false Doctrine in his Name and if they pronounce false Excommunications and Absolutions and justifie the wicked and condemn reproach and slander the Just and brand unjustly the Servants of Christ as Hypocrites Schismaticks or Hereticks and this as by Ministerial Power from Christ especially if they silence Christs Ministers impose Wolves or incompetent men scatter the Flocks and suppress serious Godliness and all this in the Name of Christ. Much more if any pretend as the Pope or his pretended general Councils to be Christs Vicar General or Head or Supream unifying Governour over all the Church on Earth and to make Lawes for the whole Church Or if they corrupt Gods Worship with imposed Superstitions Falshoods or Prophanations and say God hath Authorized them to do this It is hainous Prophaning God's Name by a Lie such doing brought up the Proverb In nomine Domini incipit omne malum When all their Abuses began with In the Name of God Amen And they that make new Church-forms which God made not either Papal Universal Aristocracy Patriarchal and such like and either pretend that God made them or gave them or such other power to make them must prove what they say lest they prophane Gods Name by falshood But the highest Prophanation is when they pre●end that God hath made them Absolute Governours and set them so far above his own Laws and Judgment and himself as that whatever they say is the Word of God or the Sence of the Scripture though never so falsly must be taken for such by all and whatever they command or forbid they must be obeyed though Gods Word command or forbid the contrary And that God hath given power to Popes or Councils to forbid men the Worship which God commandeth yea to Interdict whole Kingdoms and excommunicate and depose Kings and that from these as a Supream Power no man must appeal to the Scripture or to God and his final Judgment This is by prophane Lying to use God's Name to the destroying of Souls the Church and the Laws and Government of God himself 7. Another way of taking God's Name in vain is by Heresies that is embodying in separated Parties or Churches against the Church and Truth of God for the propagating of some dangerous false Doctrine which they father on God and so militate in his Name against his Church If men as aforesaid do but promote false Doctrine in the Church without Separation it is bad But to gather an Army against the Truth and Church and feign Christ to be the Leader of it is worse 8. Another way is by Perjury appealing to God or abusing his name as the Witness and owner of a Lye 9. Another way is by false Vows made to God himself When men either Vow to God to do that which he abhorreth or hath forbidden Or when they Vow that which is good with a false deceitful Heart and as Ananias and Sapphira with false reserves or when they Vow and pay not but wilfully break the Vows which they have made The breach of Covenants between Princes or between them and Subjects or between Husband and Wife confirmed by appeal to God is a dreadful sin But the violation of the great Baptismal Vow in which we are all solemnly devoted and obliged to God is one of the hainousest sins in the World When it is not about a lesser duty but even our Oath of Allegiance to God by solemn Vow taking him for our God our Saviour and